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This picture highlights slave states in blue, free states in green, and territories open to slavery in light blue

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In 1854, while trying to organize the Nebraska territory, an Illinois senator proposed a bill to make two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska. The bill also had an amendment lifting the Missouri Compromise and once it was passed allowed for new states/territories to vote on enslavement (this was called popular sovereignty.) This is significant because the bill ignited lots of fighting and debate for or against enslavement in the US and laid the groundwork for the Civil War.

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This is the electoral college map during Abraham Lincoln's 1860 election. Blue is won states by Lincoln.

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Abraham Lincoln elected 16th president (November 6, 1860)

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Abraham Lincoln elected 16th president (November 6, 1860)

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On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected into office as the 16th president of the United States. The southern states were very against Lincoln as they thought he was going to outlaw slavery, which many Southerners saw as a way of life. Lincoln's election sparked even more talk of secession which had been brewing since the 1830s. This event is significant because the rebel states saw Lincoln as a threat to their way of life and his election ultimately led to the southern states seceding and the Civil War.

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Confederates bombard Fort Sumter (April 12-14, 1861)

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Confederates bombard Fort Sumter (April 12-14, 1861)

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From April 12-14 of 1861, the Confederates bombarded the Union's Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This was done as the rebel states began taking Federal forts in the South after states began seceding. This is important because it marked the very beginning of the Civil War.

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First Battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861)

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First Battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861)

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On July 21 the Union, led by Irvin McDowell, and the Confederacy, led by P.G.T. Beauregard, clashed in the first major battle of the war in Manassas, Virginia. The battle ended in a victory for the rebel states. This event is significant because it was the first full-scale battle of the Civil War and both sides realized that it would not be a swift victory either way, but rather a long and bloody war.

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Battle at Fort Donelson (February 13-16, 1862)

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Battle at Fort Donelson (February 13-16, 1862)

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Fort Donelson was a fort in Dover, Tennessee that was attacked from February 13-16 in 1862. It was a large battle that left 16 thousand dead and enabled the Union's advancement through Confederate Tennessee. This battle is significant because not only were the Union able to advance South, but they now controlled many rivers too. Also, this war put future president Ulysses S. Grant in the national spotlight after the North's victory.

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The Battle of Shiloh happened in Hardin County, Tennessee and left 23,746 soldiers dead. When General Grant tried pushing troops to Mississippi, him and his army were intercepted in Tennessee and one of the largest battles of the entire war broke out. This is important because the Union victory allowed them to penetrate the Confederate interior and was the biggest war on the continent at the time.

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On September 17, 1862, Washington County, Maryland found itself in the deadliest single-day battle in American history. The conflict was caused by the Confederate advancement North and attempt at taking Washington DC. This battle is significant because the Union victory gave Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

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Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863)

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Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863)

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On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect throughout the United States. This document proclaimed that enslaved people in the rebel states were now free. This is important because it is the document that freed enslaved people throughout the US and outlawed the practice of enslavement.

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The Battle of Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was a turning point in the war as the Union stopped the Confederate's second quest to invade the North and end the war. This was a significant battle as it essentially crushed the hopes of the rebel states becoming their own nation and it was also a very bloody war with a death toll of 51 thousand.

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This picture shows Robert E. Lee (grey)surrendering his army to the Union

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When the successful general, Robert E. Lee, and his army were trapped by the Union near a court house in Appomattox County, Virginia, Lee was forced to surrender his troops to the Union forces. This is a significant event because it wasn't very long after until many other Confederate armies began surrendering, bringing an end to the Civil War and putting an end to enslavement in the United States.